ABAC FOUNDATION GREATLY BENEFITS COLLEGE

The Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Foundation has initiated several projects this year that greatly benefit the ABAC campus and the student body. Chairman Butch Davis and the Board of Trustees of the ABAC Foundation have played a major role in several new developments at the college, including Forest Lakes Golf Course, the Red Hill Athletic Center, scholarships, and student housing.

“I am just so proud of the job that volunteers with our Foundation do every day,” ABAC President Mike Vollmer said. “The average person would not believe the number of volunteer hours these men and women put in every single month.”

In January, the Foundation accepted a $1 million gift of the 91-acre Forest Lakes Golf Course from Dr. Larry Moorman and his wife, Debra. The course, which is used by students as an outdoor learning laboratory, is also used in many other programs, including horticulture, agricultural engineering, forestry, wildlife, agriculture equipment technology, golf turf management, physical education, and youth connection.

Members of the Foundation also devoted hundreds of hours of their time to another major campus project: the Red Hill Athletic Center. The $1 million Center, which is a privately funded building on the ABAC campus, celebrated its grand opening in August. The facility is located adjacent to the tennis courts and includes dressing rooms for baseball, softball, and tennis athletes, as well as offices for various coaches.

The ABAC Foundation has also initiated several new scholarships, including the Maria Guadalupe Cervantes Memorial Scholarship, the Viola Carswell Johnson Nursing Scholarship, the Dorris Garrison Nelson Memorial Scholarship, and the June Bennett Lindsey Nursing Scholarship.

Perhaps most important, the Foundation is the driving force behind plans to build new residence halls on the ABAC campus.

“Although larger foundations like those at Georgia Tech and UGA are working on similar projects, it is safe to say that our Foundation is the first one at a two-year institution in Georgia to tackle this type of project,” Vollmer said. “It is envisioned that these new residence halls will provide future students with a first class learning environment infused with technology. By undertaking this project, the ABAC Foundation has made a strong commitment to ABAC and its students for years to come.”

ABAC Foundation President Melvin Merrill said the Foundation’s plan to assist in the construction of the residence halls is right on schedule.

“It has taken a lot of time,” Merrill said. “But in the long run, it is going to pay great dividends for ABAC students. I am looking forward to the day when we have new modern residence halls for our students.”

The entire Board of Trustees of the Foundation meets quarterly on the ABAC campus. Many other meetings take place on a weekly or monthly basis. For additional information about the ABAC Foundation, contact ABAC’s Office of Development at (229) 386-3265.

# # #